South Australian-based graphite producer Quantum Graphite (ASX:QGL) has completed the design of the pilot thermal energy storage and power generation system cells as part of a joint venture agreement with The Sunland Company.
The company says this work was conducted at Freiberg University of Mining and Technology in Germany by the Institute of Nonferrous Metallurgy and High-Purity Materials.
The JV between Quantum and The Sunland Company is known as QSP. This partnership uses coarse natural flake graphite sourced from Quantum’s Uley 2 Graphite Project in South Australia to produce TES cells.
These cells are used in long duration energy storage solutions, which are retrofitted to coal fired power stations to provide renewable energy to existing power grids.
In this process, the cells utilise renewable energy to store heat at ‘ultra-high’ temperatures, which is then delivered to a power station’s existing steam turbine generator, which in turn dispatches base load generation to the electrical grid.
TES cells can achieve very large-scale storage, and time shifting of renewable energy to times when renewable energy generation is not available.
Quantum Graphite is a South Australian-based graphite producer specialising in manufacturing flake graphite products for traditional refractory markets, the emerging expanded graphite sector, and the technologies sector.
The company currently operates the Uley 2 Graphite Project located 20km west-southwest of Port Lincoln in the Eyre Peninsula. The project has a total mineral resource of 6.3 million tonnes @ 11.10% total graphitic carbon (TGC), and a total ore reserve of 4 million tonnes @ 11.89% TGC.